Congratulations 2019 Earth Day Award Winners!

Kitsap County Public Works and the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) have been recognizing Earth Day award winners since 1993.

At the April 22, 2019 BOCC regular meeting, we celebrated members of our community who provide outstanding environmental stewardship for our county. This year’s winners were publicly nominated for their service towards sustainability, waste reduction, recycling, litter control, habitat protection, and water quality monitoring.

These Earth Day award winners continue to make a difference in our community by leading the way and informing others of environmental issues.

Stillwaters Environmental Center

Water Quality Monitoring and Salmon Recovery

Founded by Naomi Maasberg and Joleen Palmer in 1999, Stillwaters Environmental Center has provided twenty years of restoration, education, and citizen science in the estuary and lowland streams of Carpenter Creek Watershed. They contribute rigorous citizen science to regional and state ecosystem protection efforts. Community volunteers are joined by interns and graduate students from local universities to conduct field research and to monitor and preserve the estuary, salt marsh, and watersheds in the Puget Sound region. Their efforts make a significant contribution to salmon recovery.

Of their numerous restoration and education projects, Stillwaters’ biggest accomplishment is working with Kitsap County to restore the Carpenter Creek Estuary by replacing two small culverts with bridges. Their advocacy efforts resulted in the restoration of 30 acres of healthy estuary and marsh.

Stillwaters Environmental Center was nominated by Cammy Mills.

West Sound Wildlife Shelter

Habitat Protection and Wildlife Recovery

Operating since 1996, the West Sound Wildlife Shelter provides injured, orphaned, and sick wild animals with a second chance at life. The shelter promotes the well-being of wildlife and their habitats through public outreach, education, and involvement.

They provide educational programs and live-animal presentations in classrooms, rotary clubs, and other organizations throughout Kitsap county. They rescue, rehabilitate, and release nearly 2,000 species every year. Their mission is to help humans live in harmony with nature by educating about safe and enriching ways to interact with wildlife while avoiding habitat destruction.

West Sound Wildlife Shelter was nominated by volunteer, Gordon Hallgren, who stated that, “they are a very small organization that accomplishes a tremendous amount of good by educating people on environmental subjects and providing a wide range of wild animal rescue services."

Kathy Sinn

Litter Control

Kathy Sinn has been walking the 2.6 miles of Williamette Meridian road for over a decade, diligently collecting litter and debris from the roadside. Through her initiative and continued efforts, she creates a cleaner and healthier environment for her community.

Kathy was nominated by her neighbor, De Lynn Grubb, who said that “her efforts are greatly appreciated and noticed around our street, her example has made an impression on myself and my daughter, and her contributions make our neighborhood a better place to be.”

Donna Hollon

Waste Reduction and Recycling

Donna Hollon is a third-grade teacher at South Colby Elementary School. She has been positively influencing her students for over thirty years. She is committed to environmental values and goes above and beyond to instill in her students the importance of waste reduction, recycling, and composting. She encourages her students to pack waste free lunches and emphasizes the importance of protecting the environment through her lessons and her example. She has decreased her personal carbon footprint by regularly biking to school instead of driving.

Donna Hollon was nominated by her previous student Avery Sheehan, and his mother Elizabeth. They mentioned that in addition to the environmental values she teaches her students, she is also actively involved in the Kitsap Helpline, helping to reduce food waste and provide food for those in need. Donna started a family tradition of picking up waste along the roadways every Martin Luther King and Veterans Day. Donna’s example inspired a love of sustainability in her daughter, who is now an environmental engineer.

Paisley Gallagher

Sustainability

Paisley Gallagher is a community liaison who provides the county with invaluable information regarding sustainability, food waste, and environmental related community events.

She founded My Sustainable City, a non-profit that provides networking opportunities and education about community resources. She is the Project Developer and Program Manager for Kitsap Harvest, a gleaning program that alleviates food insecurity and reduces food waste throughout the county. This program rescues leftover produce including apples, berries, and vegetables from local farms and gardens. The rescued produce is then distributed to food access organizations such as food banks, soup kitchens, and shelters. She continually brings the community together to tackle environmental issues by managing the social outreach for both organizations through the Facebook pages ‘My Sustainable City’ and ‘Kitsap Harvest'.

Paisley Gallagher was nominated by Caitlin Newman and Cammy Mills, who stated that, “Paisley works tirelessly to promote sustainability in Kitsap County."